maelstrom

[ meyl-struhm ]

/ ˈmeɪl strəm /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR maelstrom ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a large, powerful, or violent whirlpool.

a restless, disordered, or tumultuous state of affairs: the maelstrom of early morning traffic.

(initial capital letter) a famous hazardous whirlpool off the NW coast of Norway.

Origin of maelstrom

1550–60 for def 3; < early Dutch maelstroom, now spelling maalstroom, representing mal(en) to grind + stroom stream. See meal², stream

SYNONYMS FOR maelstrom

2 tumult, pandemonium, bedlam.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR maelstrom ON THESAURUS.COM

Words nearby maelstrom

maeander, maebashi, maebelle, maecenas, mael, maelstrom, maenad, maera, maestoso, maestricht, maestro

Example sentences from the Web for maelstrom

Ruffalo, who plays his brother, is great as the steady hand amid a maelstrom of emotion.

Channing Tatum Is the Real Star of ‘Foxcatcher' |Nico Hines |October 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
I directed the 15th episode, which was right in the middle of a maelstrom of shooting and cutting The Divide.

Tony Goldwyn Tackles Political Scandal Again on ‘The Divide’ |Jason Lynch |July 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
In the midst of this maelstrom came a strange and determinedly anachronistic new novel by William Goldman.

American Dreams, 1973: The Princess Bride by William Goldman |Nathaniel Rich |August 28, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Had the election been close there, a maelstrom of litigation would have made us pine for hanging chads and Katherine Harris.

Obama Needs to Embrace Voting Reform in 2013 State of the Union |Michael Waldman, Lawrence Norden |February 12, 2013 |DAILY BEAST

Into this maelstrom of sorrow and rage stepped Rahul Gandhi.

How Rahul Gandhi Blew the Indian Rape Crisis |Dilip D’Souza |January 19, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
It was not obvious to her; he had put her into a maelstrom of puzzles, but she did not tell him so.

Captivity |M. Leonora Eyles
The officiating priests, however, remained unconvinced, and threw themselves without reserve into the maelstrom of revolution.

History of the Jews, Vol. II (of 6) |Heinrich Graetz
No whirlpool, not Maelstrom itself, could fright them as those four men.

Gwen Wynn |Mayne Reid
He will carry on his struggle in the maelstrom of a large city, possibly Chicago.

The Vice Bondage of a Great City or the Wickedest City in the World |Robert O. Harland
Yet there were charming people, both men and women, caught protesting in the maelstrom.

Shadows of Flames |Amelie Rives

British Dictionary definitions for maelstrom (1 of 2)

maelstrom

/ (ˈmeɪlstrəʊm) /

noun

a large powerful whirlpool

any turbulent confusion

Word Origin for maelstrom

C17: from obsolete Dutch maelstroom, from malen to grind, whirl round + stroom stream

British Dictionary definitions for maelstrom (2 of 2)

Maelstrom

/ (ˈmeɪlstrəʊm) /

noun

a strong tidal current in a restricted channel in the Lofoten Islands off the NW coast of Norway

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

maelstrom

noun

Origin of maelstrom

SYNONYMS FOR maelstrom

Words nearby maelstrom

Example sentences from the Web for maelstrom

British Dictionary definitions for maelstrom (1 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for maelstrom

British Dictionary definitions for maelstrom (2 of 2)

noun

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

maelstrom

noun

Origin of maelstrom

SYNONYMS FOR maelstrom

Words nearby maelstrom

Words related to maelstrom

Example sentences from the Web for maelstrom

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for maelstrom (1 of 2)

noun

Word Origin for maelstrom

British Dictionary definitions for maelstrom (2 of 2)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for maelstrom (1 of 2)